Flexibility in Processing Visual Information:Effects of Mood and Hypnosis

Abstract

This quasi-experiment using a real/simulator model investigated differences in cognitive flexibility in high and low hypnotizable participants. Using the variables of hypnotizability (low/high), consciousness (nonhypnotized/hypnotized), mood (happy/sad), and visual-information processing (global/local), reaction times and target detection paradigms of the subjects were evaluated during both nonhypnotic and hypnotic states. Flexibility in cognitive processing was operationalized as the ability to overcome the typical global precedence and answer quickly about the nonprevalent local features. It was observed that the low hypnotizable participants were not influenced in their preference for the global or local dimension by any manipulated variable, whereas the high hypnotizables were more flexible.

Cognitive Hypnotherapy in Addressing the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

“…Firstly, there is the stage of psychological assessment, secondly, the educational stage during which the client is presented the concept of hypnosis (Enea & Dafinoiu, 2011), the third step consists in assessing hypnotisability (Enea & Dafinoiu, 2008;Enea & Dafinoiu, 2013), and the fourth stage is the practice of hypnosis and learning self-hypnosis.…”

Hypnosis and Meditation: A Neurophenomenological Comparison

“…With regard to the first marker of improved performance, there is evidence that suggestion improves performance on tests of attentional orienting-namely, the Stroop and ANT (attention network test) (for a review, see Raz, 2005). Nevertheless, highly hypnotizable people differ at baseline on these tests, typically showing less efficient performance without suggestion (Dixon, Brunet, & Laurence, 1990;Dixon & Laurence, 1992;Raz, Shapiro, Fan, & Posner, 2002), though some studies show superior attentional performance and improved cognitive flexibility among highly susceptible individuals (see Crawford, 1994;Enea & Dafinoiu, 2013;Gruzelier, 1998).…”

The Associations Between Pain-related Beliefs, Pain Intensity, and Patient Functioning

“…Preliminary support for this possibility comes from research showing that, relative to individuals with lower hypnotizability scores, individuals with higher hypnotizability scores (1) demonstrate stronger affective responses to violent films, 21 (2) are more likely to believe that a hypnotically suggested event had actually occurred, 22–23 and (3) can find it more difficult to shift from negative to positive moods when moods are induced by negative images. 24 …”